Arctic Urgency – A Global Call to Action

19th May 2015

Contributing Writer for Wake Up World

Despite the world-wide outcry, this week the trusted and wise United States Government gave the next green light for the Shell Oil Company to continue its environmentally risky plans to drill for oil in the Arctic.

We have every reason not to do this. With threatened polar bears already on thin and disappearing ice (they die without ice to travel across), we learn of the decision to drill for oil in this fragile ecosystem in the face of dramatic changes in our climate and a dire need to reduce fuel emissions world-wide. In addition, Shell was forbidden to drill in the Arctic years ago because of their sloppy work “which resulted in a series of blunders and accidents.”

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The fact that the US Government has now given the green light for this speaks volumes on so many levels. Perhaps the most devastating is that this is a clear message that government and Big Oil are not really serious about cleaning up the environment, or the survival of the human species on planet Earth. Their actions speak louder than words.

According to a report in The Guardian:

“Instead of holding Shell accountable and moving the country towards a sustainable future, our federal regulators are catering to an ill-prepared company in a region that doesn’t tolerate cutting corners,” Tim Donaghy, a senior research specialist at Greenpeace, said. “Shell has a history of dangerous malfunctioning in the Arctic while global scientists agree that Arctic oil must stay in the ground if we’re to avoid catastrophic climate change.”

Obama’s own scientists say there is a 75 percent risk of a major oil spill if Shell’s plan goes forward. More, emergency response and clean-up would be very difficult in the rough waters of the Arctic — with its hurricane strength winds and fifty foot swells — than the area where the poor response to BP’s Deepwater Horizon disaster took place.

According to the Augusta Chronicle:

“Shell’s last effort to do exploratory drilling in the Arctic Ocean also left from Seattle and ended badly. The Noble Discoverer and the Kulluk were stranded by equipment failures in terrible weather, and the Coast Guard barely rescued the Kulluk crew. Federal investigations resulted in guilty pleas and fines for rig owner Noble Drilling.”

This decision is huge and paints a picture for what the future will likely look like for our sons and daughters unless we act now: not good. We have to imagine these realistic possibilities to help empower us to avert future chaos. If the photo for this article is not enough to motivate you into action, please imagine the likes of another BP Oil spill in the Arctic and everything suffering because of it – whales, fish, seals, birds, polar bears, and innocent people – with likely worse consequences to the ecosystem.

Please share this news and sign these petitions listed below. Time is short.

In a recent article, I covered the efforts of the brave Greenpeace activists who scaled Shell’s oilrig as it headed to the Arctic on the first leg of this risky endeavor. For information and inspiration, please see: Heroes for the Planet – Arctic Activists Making Slick Progress.

Thank you for caring,

Jack

Previous articles by Jack Adam Weber:

About the author:

Jack Adam Weber, L.Ac. is a Chinese medicine physician, author, celebrated poet, organic farmer, and activist for body-centered spirituality. He is also the creator of The Nourish Practice, an Earth-based rejuvenation meditation. Weber is available by phone for medical consultations and life-coaching. His books, artwork, and provocative poems can be found at his website PoeticHealing.com.

You can connect with Jack at:

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Please share this news and sign these petitions listed below. Time is short.

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